Missouri bill seeks to ban some drag shows as Republicans target LGBTQ performances
A Missouri Republican state lawmaker filed legislation this week that would ban certain drag shows that could be viewed by anyone who is not an adult.
The bill, filed by state Rep. Ben Baker, a Neosho Republican, would ban “adult cabaret performances” from public property or in any location that could be viewed by a child. Violators of the bill would be subject to a misdemeanor for a first offense. Subsequent offenders would be subject to a felony.
Baker’s bill defines an adult cabaret performance as “a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether performed for consideration.”
Baker, on Twitter this week, said his bill was targeted at drag show events.
“There is no such thing as a family friendly ‘Drag Queen’ event,” the tweet said. “As a Dad of 4 daughters I’m extremely concerned what is being allowed in public spaces accessible by minors.”
The bill comes on the heels of several high-profile debates over Christmas-themed drag show performances across the state. The debate over drag shows, which has largely occurred on social media, appears to be the latest cultural issue that conservatives have latched onto in recent weeks ahead of the legislative session in January.
In a phone interview with The Star, Baker said his bill wouldn’t completely ban drag shows from public spaces. He said it depends on the content of the performance.
“They could still have a show and if it didn’t have, you know, nudity or partial nudity, as already is outlined in statute, or any of those things, then they can still have one,” he said. “Like a drag queen story hour, for instance, as long as they weren’t performing in those those type of ways or reading from materials that contained that kind of content.”
Democrats and LGBTQ rights advocates say the bill and the ongoing push to target drag show performances are part of a broader conservative attack on the LGBTQ community.
“This is a political mission that doesn’t actually protect youth, but further defends the fears and phobias of some adults,” Justice Horn, a Kansas City activist who lobbied city council to create the city’s first LGBTQ+ Commission, wrote on Twitter. “If Missouri really cared about our youth, our state wouldn’t fall short in all other areas that impact them.”
Horn said Baker’s legislation would “start us down the path of banning drag altogether in the state of Missouri.”
Baker pushed back on this argument Thursday.
“What adults do with other adults, I don’t care,” he told The Star. “They want to have a drag show and have all that kind of content wherever they want to have it, as long as it’s in a setting where kids couldn’t be walking up and seeing it or exposed to that, I think makes sense.”
State Rep. Keri Ingle, a Lee’s Summit Democrat, wrote on Twitter that Republicans were targeting drag shows instead of more pressing issues that impact children, such as gun violence.
“The right wing attacks on the LGBT community have lead directly to hate crimes such as the power grid attacks in North Carolina and mass shootings,” she wrote in a tweet.
Earlier this week, state Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Springs Republican and likely candidate for governor in 2024, called on Chesterfield Mayor Bob Nation to ensure that an entertainment venue did not allow underage people to attend “A Drag Queen Christmas,” a show that featured contestants from the popular reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Eigel, in a letter to Nation, argued that the drag show was too obscene for children.
“Other states may allow children to be violated by such performances, but NOT IN MISSOURI!” he wrote in the letter.
The Chesterfield venue later updated its website to say the event was for ages 18 and up because of “mature content.” On the night of the performance, both protesters and counter-protesters gathered outside the venue, according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
An event featuring the same Christmas-themed drag show also occurred this week in Kansas City with little controversy. A small handful of protesters stood outside the venue.
This story was originally published December 22, 2022 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Missouri bill seeks to ban some drag shows as Republicans target LGBTQ performances."
